Survival of the Fittest
by aznboi85
Summary: PRJF Casey, Theo, and Lily end up in an alternate dimension where the only way to escape is to win a tournament. There are two problems. First of all, they are up against the resurrected five fingers of poison. Secondly, there can only be one winner.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own PRJF. I am not making a profit by writing this.**

**A/N: This is a far cry from the "cute" stories I'm known for, but I'm trying something different.**

**Survival of the Fittest**

_Win or Don't Go Home_

The rangers were in downtown Ocean Bluff up against their toughest adversary yet, a powerful necromancer named Necros. The necromancer was unlike any Rinshi beast the rangers had ever encountered, and that was because the necromancer wasn't a Rinshi beast. In fact, the necromancer didn't even work for Dai Shi. Necros operated off his own agenda.

Casey, Theo, and Lily couldn't even get close enough to Necros to inflict any real damage on him. The crafty necromancer was using his wand to keep the rangers at bay with a barrage of immobilizing spells. They were only temporary, but they kept the necromancer from being attacked.

"This is really starting to get annoying!" Lily remarked while making a fruitless effort to move her limbs.

"How are we supposed to beat him if we can't even hit him?" Theo asked frustrated.

The rangers watched as Necros drew a circle with his finger. A portal opened up, and he stepped through it, but not before saying, "Follow me if you dare, rangers!"

As soon as he stepped through the portal, the rangers found that they could move again. Casey made a beeline for the portal, which was starting to gradually get smaller and smaller. Theo grabbed hold of his arm.

"Wait, Case! For all we know, it could be a trap!" Theo stated.

"I don't care. The portal's closing, so it's now or never. I don't know about you, but I don't want that guy running amok in Ocean Bluff," Casey said before shaking himself free from Theo's grasp and running into the portal.

Theo was surprised when he saw his best friend, Lily, head off in the portal's direction as well.

"Lily! What are you doing? Not you too!" Theo commented.

"I don't know what's in there, but I'm not letting Casey face it on his own," Lily said before stepping through the portal.

Theo shook his head in disapproval. After letting out a deep sigh, he reluctantly decided to follow his teammates, and step through the portal.

The three teenagers found themselves in a completely desolate area. They were surrounded by some stone architecture. After walking a bit further, they realized that they were in a large coliseum.

Casey, Theo, and Lily were in the center of the coliseum on the ground floor. At the very top row, where the spectators sat, they saw Necros.

"Welcome rangers. The three of you are in an alternate dimension. It's no use trying to escape. There's only one way to do that. You see, the three of you are going to take part in a tournament. The winner plain and simple gets to escape from this alternate dimension," Necros explained.

"What makes you think we'll play your game?" Casey shouted.

"You have no choice. If you don't play my "game," then you don't escape. If you don't escape, then who is going to save Ocean Bluff from Dai Shi?" Necros replied.

The rangers got into a little huddle and had an impromptu team meeting to devise some semblance of a game plan.

"I hate to admit it, but I think we're going to have to play his 'game,'" Theo stated.

"There can only be one winner though. If one of us is the winner, what about the other two?" Lily asked.

"There's only one way to find out," Casey said. "Fine Necros, we accept!"

"I knew you would. Now I bet you're wondering who your opponents will be. Let me put it like this—there's a reason I'm a necromancer," Necros said.

The rangers watched as he held up his wand in the air and started chanting some kind of spell. Moments later, a purple lightning bolt rained from the sky creating an explosion several feet away from the rangers. After the smoke cleared, the rangers saw five figures walking side-by-side. They were none other than the five fingers of poison.

"What?" Casey asked.

"No—" Lily started to say.

"Way!" Theo said finishing Lily's sentence.

"Impossible! We already destroyed them!" Casey exclaimed.

Overhead, a giant television monitor lowered. It was so humungous that it made a movie theater screen look like an iPod Nano. On the screen, the display rapidly toggled through profile pictures of the eight combatants. To the right of that image, was another image in which the eight combatants were being toggled through as well.

The left image stopped on a picture of Lily. The right image stopped on a picture of Rantipede.

"Well, well. It looks like our first quarterfinal match is set. It will be the yellow ranger versus Rantipede. Oh, and fingers of poison, if one of you happens to win the tournament, I will bring you to life outside this alternate dimension. If you lose, you will only exist in this alternate dimension," Necros explained.

"Come on, Lily!" Casey said encouragingly.

"You got this, Lil!" Theo added.

Lily swallowed a lump that was beginning to form in her throat. She really didn't want to go first, but someone had to. Her heart was racing.

"As for you, rangers, remember, win or don't go home," Necros stated before laughing evilly.

**To Be Continued…**

**A/N: Who will emerge victorious: Lily or Rantipede? What are the rest of the tournament brackets? Stay tuned to find out. Let me know what you think by leaving a review. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

**Survival of the Fittest**

_Lily versus Rantipede_

Only Lily and Rantipede remained in the center of the coliseum. The four other fingers of poison took seats on the west side of the coliseum while Casey and Theo took seats on the east side of the coliseum.

"Before we get started, let me remind you of some rules. First of all, both of you will morph. The battle is decided when one of you damages the other enough to cause him or her to de-morph. Secondly, to ensure that there is no outside interference, I will be casting a spell on the participants not competing that will only allow them to move two things—their lips and their eyes," Necros announced.

Lily reached into the pouch attached to her waist. She pulled out her yellow pair of sunglasses and put them on her face. Lily activated her morpher.

"Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!" Lily shouted as she morphed into the yellow power ranger. "With the speed of a cheetah—Jungle Fury yellow ranger!"

"By the power of Dai Shi, inner beast arise!" Rantipede called out as he morphed into his more powerful form. "100 legs to strike you—Rantipede!"

A white explosion went off behind Rantipede at the same time that a yellow explosion went off behind Lily.

"So, is there like a gong or something that needs to be rung to start the match?" Lily asked.

"No," Necros answered simply.

"Then how do we know when the match is supposed to start?" Lily replied.

"It already has!" Rantipede exclaimed, as he charged forward, catching the yellow ranger off guard with a flurry of punches to her chest.

Lily tumbled to the ground. She kipped up, and ran straight towards Rantipede.

"So that's how you want to play, huh? Fine then! Let's play! Cheetah Jabs!" the yellow ranger exclaimed.

Rantipede wasn't about to be caught unawares though. He responded with a flurry of his own punches. The two matched each other punch for punch. That is until Lily crouched down, and attempted a jab to Rantipede's solar plexus. The finger of poison was prepared for this, and back flipped, kicking the yellow ranger square underneath her jaw, causing her to stumble backwards a few paces.

"You're going to have to do a whole lot better than that, yellow ranger! Remember, out of all the fingers of poison, it is I who know you best. I know what move you're going to make before you even make it," Rantipede boasted.

"Oh really? Well, did you see this coming? Jungle Mace!" Lily responded.

Master Phant's trusty weapon materialized in the yellow ranger's hands. She winded it up, and then launched it at Rantipede. It sailed through the air with such velocity that Rantipede was barely able to get his forearms up to block the attack. However, it still managed to send Rantipede rolling on the ground.

It was Rantipede's turn to rise to his feet. He retaliated with a rapid succession of punches. Lily threw her Jungle Mace to the side, and responded with more Cheetah Jabs. Rantipede broke the flurry of offense with an attempted leg sweep. Lily hopped over Rantipede's leg, delivering a strong kick to the back of Rantipede's head.

What happened next was unexpected. The bag that Rantipede was wearing fell off revealing his face that was literally crawling with black centipedes.

"Ew! I think I'm going to be sick!" Lily remarked.

The individual centipedes combined with one another forming one giant centipede head. Rantipede elongated his centipede head, wrapping it tightly around Lily's torso. The finger of poison squeezed as tight as he possibly could.

Lily struggled just to catch her breath. To her, Rantipede somehow seemed stronger this time around. Maybe she had underestimated the finger of poison. As she desperately tried to free herself, Lily thought about what was at stake. If she won, she could possibly gain freedom from this alternate dimension. If she lost, well…she didn't want to even think about that.

"Hang in there, Lil!" Casey screamed.

"You can break this!" Theo yelled.

Then, an idea came to her. Rantipede was wrapped around her torso, but her arms were free. That was how she would escape.

"Jungle Bo!" Lily called out beckoning forth the weapon she was a specialist in.

With as much might as she could muster, she relentlessly pounded on the large centipede head that was squeezing the air out of her. She gradually felt the hold loosen up, until Rantipede completely retracted his head.

The finger of poison was stunned. He tried to shake the cobwebs out of his head. Everything around Rantipede seemed to be spinning around at an alarmingly fast pace.

Lily saw how dizzy Rantipede was and took advantage of the situation. She charged her Jungle Bo, and dashed towards her adversary. A streak of lightning shot out Lily's weapon as she struck Rantipede in his midsection. He face planted, and there was an explosion. When the dust settled, Rantipede was back in his Rinshi form.

"Great job, Lily!" Casey shouted.

"I knew you could do it!" Theo hollered.

It wasn't easy, but Lily had pulled it off. She knew for certain that she would be in the semifinals. The giant monitor lowered again, and the remaining six combatants were being toggled through. The left image stopped on a picture of Stingerella.

"Well, well. Which ranger will have the privilege of losing to me? Blue? Or perhaps red?" Stingerella wondered out loud.

The right image stopped on a picture of someone who was not a ranger—someone who Stingerella had least expected—the right image stopped on a picture of Toady.

"My beloved?" Toady asked in utter disbelief.

**To Be Continued…**

**A/N: So, now we know that the winner of the Toady versus Stingerella match will face Lily in the semifinals. There are still four combatants—Casey, Theo, Gakko, and Naja—who have yet to find out who they will face in their quarterfinal matches. Any guesses? Thanks to everyone who has supported me so far.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

**Survival of the Fittest**

_Stingerella versus Toady_

Lily rejoined her friends on the east side of the coliseum. Rantipede went over to the west side of the coliseum as a loser. His teammates wouldn't even look at him; they were so disappointed with how his match turned out.

Back on the ground floor, standing several feet apart from one another, were the next two combatants, Stingerella and Toady. Now, they were the ones who were free to move while everyone else could do nothing but watch.

"So Lily, would you rather face Stingerella or Toady?" Theo asked.

"I don't really care which one I face," Lily replied.

All of a sudden, Theo's complexion turned really pale. Casey and Lily looked at him quizzically.

"I just realized something. With the way the brackets are set up, Casey and I are going to have to face each other. The question is will it be in the quarterfinals or the semifinals?" Theo inquired.

Lily was conflicted. She didn't want to see two of her friends fight one another. If that's what ends up happening, she is not sure who to root for. How can she possibly choose one over the other? Theo's her best friend. They've known one another for years. As for Casey, he's the team leader. Not only that, but Casey is…well he's Casey.

"Don't worry my love. I'll go easy on you," Toady said.

Stingerella didn't verbally respond. The rangers as well as the other fingers of poison wondered what that lack of response meant.

"By the power of Dai Shi, inner beast arise!" Stingerella shouted as she transformed into her more powerful form. "Queen of the toxic dance—Stingerella!"

"By the power of Dai Shi, inner beast arise!" Toady exclaimed as he morphed into his more lethal form. "Skin stronger than armor—Toady!"

A red explosion went off behind Stingerella at the same time that a yellow explosion went off behind Toady.

Stingerella opened up the match by assuming her handstand stance. She swiftly walked on her hands over to Toady before kicking him three times. Toady puffed out his chest, and Stingerella fell out of the handstand position while Toady was knocked backwards a few steps.

"Ouch! My ankles! I think you broke my ankles!" Stingerella shrieked, rubbing her ankles with her pincers.

Toady rushed over to Stingerella, and knelt beside her. "My beloved, forgive me. Are you all right?" he asked visibly concerned.

However, Stingerella was playing possum. She wasn't really injured. She was faking it. The only female finger of poison took her right pincer and stung Toady in the chest the same way she had stung Casey back when the rangers first met the fingers of poison.

Toady howled in pain, falling to the ground. His body was curled up in a fetal position, and everyone in attendance could hear how much pain he was in.

"Ooh! I remember what that feels like!" Casey remarked from the sidelines.

Stingerella rose to her feet and strolled over to her love. She stood over him, and looked down at him.

"Sorry Toady, but I'm in it to win it," Stingerella stated. "Scorpion attack!"

"Toad power!" Toady said just getting his force field up in the nick of time.

The swarm of scorpions were eating their way through the force field made out of slime. One sting and it would be game over for Toady.

"Please hold," Toady pleaded as he watched his force field get eaten up by the hungry scorpions.

"I'm impressed by Stingerella. I am supposed to be the master of trickery and deceit," Gakko commented.

A few moments later, the scorpions managed to eat their way through Toady's force field. Toady first tried rolling on the ground in an attempt to squish the scorpions. The scorpions raised their tails. Toady frantically clawed at the scorpions. He managed to get a bunch of off him, but there were still a bunch left. The scorpions lowered their tails, stinging the amphibian. Just like that, Toady was forced to de-morph.

The giant monitor lowered once more. There were four warriors—Casey, Theo, Gakko, and Naja—who had yet to compete in a quarterfinal match. Two images appeared—one on the right and one on the left—as the next match was randomly selected. The left image stopped on a picture of Gakko. The right image stopped on a picture of Theo.

By process of elimination, that meant that the fourth quarterfinal match pitted Casey against the leader of the fingers of poison—Naja. In other words, it would be leader versus leader. The first semifinal match was already set—Lily versus Stingerella.

"Come on, T! You've beat him once. You can do it again!" Lily said encouragingly.

"That's right! Gakko is going down!" Casey added.

If there was one thing Theo hated, it was losing. Lily won her match. Theo didn't want to be the first ranger to lose. The jaguar personally saw to it that he excelled at everything he did. He was glad that his teammates had so much confidence in him because he was starting to lose confidence in himself. Theo started to doubt whether or not he would even make it to the semifinals.

**To Be Continued…**

**A/N: I really didn't want to do that to Toady since he was my favorite finger of poison, but let's face it, Toady isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. So, now you know the rest of the brackets. Anyways, Gakko versus Theo is next. Any predictions? Thanks to everyone who has supported me along the way. Let me know what you think by leaving me a review. Thank you for reading! P.S. Did anyone notice how Toady and Stingerella were in love and their sashes just happen to be red and yellow? Oh, and what do you know? Casey and Lily are the red and yellow rangers! Coincidence? I think not. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: See chapter 1.**

**Survival of the Fittest**

_Gakko versus Theo_

Stingerella de-morphed, and she and Toady returned to the west side of the coliseum. The vibe was definitely different between Toady and Stingerella. The distinct sound of Toady blubbering could be heard all the way over on the east side of the coliseum where the rangers were.

Gakko and Theo were able to move again, and they made their way to the ground floor of the coliseum.

Necros was watching the tournament closely. He was thoroughly enjoying every minute of it. Except for the occasional casting of an immobilizing spell, he could just sit back and watch the fingers of poison and the rangers beat the heck out of each other.

If a ranger won, that ranger would be freed from the alternate dimension, and Necros knew that freed ranger would have to face him one-on-one.

If a finger of poison won, there's no telling what would happen. Technically, Necros was on the same side as the fingers of poison; both were evil villains. However, the only difference was that Necros didn't work for Dai Shi.

"By the power of Dai Shi, inner beast arise!" Gakko said as he assumed his reptilian form. "Master of trickery and deceit—Gakko!"

Theo pulled out his sunglasses from the pouch attached to his waist. He put them on, activated them, and called out, "Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!" After rangering up, Theo struck a pose. "With the stealth of a jaguar—Jungle Fury blue ranger!"

A green explosion went off behind Gakko and a blue explosion went off behind Theo. No one knew how said explosions were happening or even why they were going off, but they just were. Maybe Necros just thought they looked cool.

Immediately, Gakko walked up the nearest wall. He was a good ten or twelve feet off the ground. Luckily, out of all the rangers, Theo was the one ranger who could battle Gakko on his own turf.

As soon as Theo started scaling the wall Gakko was on, the gecko pulled out a couple of ninja stars and threw them at the blue ranger, knocking him back down to the ground. Theo pounded his fist into the ground before rising to his feet.

In a way, this was like a rubber match between Theo and Gakko. In their first one-on-one encounter, Gakko managed to triumph over the blue ranger. After regaining his confidence, Theo beat Gakko in a rematch. It was anyone's guess who would win this time around.

Theo leapt into the air, and attempted a jump kick. Gakko retaliated with a jump kick of his own, kicking Theo in the stomach. The blue ranger fell back down to the ground once more, the wind getting knocked out of him.

"Come on, Theo! Get up!" Lily shouted.

"Hang in there, buddy!" Casey exclaimed.

Theo stood up again. He was starting to get frustrated. The blue ranger, ever the strategist, came up with a new game plan.

"Call to the beast inside! Unleash the jaguar!" Theo called out.

His animal spirit was summoned and it somersaulted through the air hitting the cunning Gakko full force. Gakko, this time around, was the one that plummeted to the ground below.

Theo took this opportunity to scale the wall. Gakko picked himself off the ground, and didn't just walk up the wall, he ran up the wall. The blue ranger was ready for him. A blur of blue could be seen hitting the finger of poison again and again. Every blow caused sparks to fly off the chest of Gakko.

In a shift of momentum, Gakko pie-faced Theo. His entire arm came off. The gecko simply grew another one just like that. His old arm though was securely attached to the blue ranger's face as Theo fell off the wall yet again.

"Nobody can beat me on my turf!" Gakko remarked.

The jaguar finally succeeded in peeling Gakko's arm off his face. Theo hurled the arm at Gakko. The gecko swatted it away with his arm, but that was only a diversion.

Theo had leapt into the air, and while in midair, he called out, "Jungle Tonfa!" The weapon he was a pro at materialized in his hands. The blue ranger took his Jungle Tonfa and struck Gakko in the chest. Once more, a shower of sparks came off Gakko's chest.

The finger of poison fell off the wall once more.

"To show you my superior powers, I will beat you on your turf, blue ranger! Come down here and fight me!" Gakko shouted.

Theo sprung off the wall, and made another attempt at a jump kick. Gakko caught Theo's leg, swung him around, and tossed him into the same wall they had not too long ago been battling on. The blue ranger crumpled to the ground in a heap, but amazingly, he was still morphed.

Theo's back was killing him. He was certain that his several of his ribs were cracked, bruised, or broken from landing on them so many times during his altercation with Gakko. The blue ranger thought Gakko made a huge mistake by challenging him to a fight on the ground. This was Theo's chance to win the battle.

Gakko charged at Theo. At the last split second, the jaguar sidestepped. Gakko's claws were stuck in the wall. The finger of poison tried in vain to free himself, but his nails were embedded too deep in the wall.

"Jungle Tonfa full power!" Theo exclaimed.

In a brilliant flash of blue, Theo had bludgeoned Gakko with his Jungle Tonfa. The gecko's knees buckled, and he fell backwards de-morphing in the process.

"Yes! Way to go, T!" Lily shouted.

"Great job, Theo!" Casey yelled.

Theo was happy that he won, but he had mixed feelings about who he wanted to win the last quarterfinal match. On the one hand, Theo wanted Casey to defeat Naja. On the other hand though, Theo didn't want to face Casey in the semifinals.

Casey was concerned himself. Lily and Theo had won their respective matches, but just barely. If they had such difficulty in their matches, then what chance did he have when he was only a cub? Not only that, but he was set to square off against the leader of the fingers of poison. The red ranger knew he was in for a fight.

**To Be Continued…**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

**Survival of the Fittest**

_Casey versus Naja_

Theo powered down and returned to the east side of the coliseum, joining his friends. Gakko returned to the west side of the coliseum, and got a similar reception to what Rantipede got when he lost his battle to Lily.

Naja was disappointed in his fellow fingers of poison. Aside from Stingerella, none of them had managed to make the semifinals. As the leader of the fingers of poison, the cobra vowed to himself to show his comrades how to win.

Necros cast an immobilizing spell on Gakko and Theo, and he released Naja and Casey from it.

"Good luck out there, Casey," Lily said.

Theo remained silent. He was deep in thought. Statistically, the rangers would have a better chance of winning the tournament if Casey defeated Naja. They would have a 3 out of 4 chance. On the other hand, if Casey lost to Naja, the rangers would only have a 1 out of 2 chance of winning the tournament. He wondered if having better odds was worth having to fight his leader.

Casey and Naja headed towards the center of the coliseum. On paper, this would be the best quarterfinal match yet.

"Theo! Why didn't you wish Casey luck?" Lily inquired.

"I'm not sure if I want him to win," Theo answered bluntly.

"Theo! You're supposed to be on his side!"

"I am! For now at least."

Lily finally understood what was troubling Theo. Her voice noticeably softened as she spoke to her best friend once more.

"Even if you have to face Casey, it doesn't mean you have to destroy him. Just think of it as sparring; like you and I used to do at the Pai Zhuq academy," Lily said.

"By the power of Dai Shi, inner beast arise!" Naja said as he morphed. "Fangs full of venom—Naja!"

Casey reached into the pouch attached to his waist. He pulled out his sunglasses with red trim. He put them on, pushed a button on the side, and said, "Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!" Once morphed, he struck a pose. "With the strength of a tiger—Jungle Fury red ranger!"

A blue explosion went off behind Naja, and a red explosion went off behind Casey. Both combatants walked in a counterclockwise fashion.

"End of the road for you, red ranger!" Naja remarked.

"You wish!" Casey retorted.

Naja took the initiative. He ran straight at the red ranger. Casey just seemed to be standing there, until at the last split second, he took a step to the side, and stuck out his leg. Naja tripped over it.

Naja was not about to let Casey make a fool out of him. While still on the ground, Naja swept the red ranger's legs out from under him. Casey landed on the back of his neck with his legs over him. The tiger was slow to get to his feet.

Naja had pulled out his two sickle-shaped blades. He slashed Casey in the chest with them as sparks flew off of the red ranger's chest. Casey tumbled to the ground.

"Junglechucks!" Casey called out as he rose to his feet.

The red ranger neutralized one of the cobra's scythes by wrapping his Junglechucks around it. Naja kicked Casey in the back of the knee, dropping him to one knee. In an amazing display of flexibility, the tiger kicked the cobra's other scythe out of his hand with the leg that wasn't kicked. The scythe hurtled through the air, before clattering on the ground several feet behind Naja.

Casey rose to his feet. He and Naja did a succession of three no hand cartwheels. The cobra went for a kick, but the red ranger caught his foot. Naja, did a back flip, kicking Casey underneath the jaw with his free leg. On the way down, Naja slashed the red ranger with the scythe he still had in his possession. Sparks flew off Casey's chest, and he was sent to the ground again.

"Come on, Casey! You can beat him!" Lily shouted encouragingly.

Naja used this opportunity to retrieve his second scythe. He put his two blades together, forming a complete circle. A ball of purple energy was conjured up, and he projected it at the red ranger.

"With the strength of a tiger—Junglechucks!" Casey replied sending out a charged projectile attack of his own.

The two blasts collided into one another in the very center of the coliseum. It created a massive explosion that sent both Naja and Casey flying backwards. The entire ground floor of the coliseum was shrouded in a thick smoke. When the smoke cleared, both Casey and Naja were de-morphed and prone.

"I saw it! The red ranger de-morphed first!" the four other fingers of poison shouted simultaneously.

"No way! Naja was the first one to de-morph!" Theo and Lily countered.

"Silence! With the thick smoke, it was hard to tell who, if anyone, de-morphed first. For all we know, they both could have de-morphed at the same time. Therefore, I am ruling this match a draw. However, neither combatant can advance to the semifinals on a draw, so I have no choice but to restart the match!" Necros yelled.

Naja and Casey were still lying on the ground. Both were just starting to stir. How would they be able to face one another in a second match when both of them were completely exhausted?

The cobra and the tiger had already been through a grueling battle, but the tiger felt like he had come out of it the worst. Even the subtlest movement caused his neck tremendous pain. His chest felt like it was on fire. Not to mention that he was heavily favoring his right leg.

Whomever won, Naja or Casey, would be at a huge disadvantage when it came to his semifinal match against Theo.

**To Be Continued…**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

**Survival of the Fittest**

_Casey versus Naja Round Two_

Casey picked up his sunglasses off the ground, and put them back on his face. He pushed a button on the side of his sunglasses.

"Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!" Casey said as he transformed into ranger form. "With the strength of a tiger—Jungle Fury red ranger!"

"By the power of Dai Shi, inner beast arise!" Naja called out as he morphed. "Fangs full of venom—Naja!"

For the time being, the two decided to contest the battle without the use of weapons. They threw punch after punch and kick after kick. Their opponent blocked each and every punch and each and every kick. As time progressed, their offense had less and less force behind it, and was less and less frequent.

Casey went for another punch. Naja caught his fist with one hand. With his other hand, he grabbed the red ranger by the shoulder. The cobra wrapped his legs around Casey's arm, and flipped him down onto the ground. To the tiger, it felt as though Naja was trying to rip his shoulder right out of its socket. Casey screamed out in agony.

"I can't watch this anymore!" Lily exclaimed as she shut her eyes.

Theo didn't think it was fair that Casey and Naja had to have a rematch. If he was going to face Casey in the semifinals, not that he wanted to, he wanted to face Casey at his best. With the beating the red ranger had received so far, there would be no way their leader would be at his best.

The tiger took his free arm and tried to pry Naja's legs off his arm. Just when he was starting to make some progress, the finger of poison tightened his grip. In an uncanny show of strength, Casey rose to his feet even with Naja's legs still wrapped around his arm.

Using his good leg, Casey nailed Naja in the small of the back with repeated knee lifts. After nearly a dozen blows, Naja let go of the red ranger's arm, and fell to the ground, landing on his back.

The finger of poison knew that the leader of the power rangers was right handed, so he had been concentrating his attacks on the red ranger's right side of the body. Now Casey had a bad right knee and a bad right shoulder. His right arm was now practically useless.

"Junglechucks!" Casey called out as his weapon materialized in his hands.

Instantaneously, Casey switched to holding his weapon in exclusively his left hand. His right arm hung limp at his side. Both he and Naja were breathing heavily. Casey was surprised that he wasn't in more pain than he was. Maybe it was because of the adrenaline that he couldn't feel the full extent of the pain his body was in.

It may have taken awhile, but Naja finally managed to rise to his feet. Casey limped his way over to the finger of poison. He swung his Junglechucks at Naja, and the cobra pulled out his scythes and parried the attack.

Casey's Junglechucks were wrapped around one of Naja's scythes. A little tug-of-war ensued. Whereas the red ranger was only tugging with one of his arms, Naja was utilizing both of his arms. The cobra regained control of his scythe and yanked the Junglechucks out of the tiger's grasp. They fell to the ground.

"Cobra Strike!" Naja shouted as he prepared to hit the red ranger with his most powerful attack.

This time, the tiger had a hold of the cobra's wrist as the attack missed its mark. Casey connected with a standing side kick. Naja went stumbling backwards, but Casey managed to hijack one of his scythes in the process. The red ranger spun around and slashed Naja in the chest with his own weapon. Sparks came off of Naja's chest, and he was sent tumbling to the ground.

Casey took this opening to snatch his own weapon up off the ground. He threw Naja's scythe behind him, and it stuck into the wall like a dart on a dart board.

"If Naja is so great, then why hasn't he beaten the red ranger yet?" Gakko wondered aloud.

"Don't talk about a fellow warrior like that, Gakko!" Stingerella scolded.

"With the strength of a tiger—Junglechucks!" Casey yelled.

Naja, who was just now getting up, did a diving somersault to avoid the attack that had it hit, surely would have been his downfall.

Even though Lily had said she wasn't going to watch anymore, she had her eyes open and was watching the battle very closely. She was proud of Casey. He was showing his determination, perseverance, and never-say-die attitude.

"Let's go, Casey! You're so close to beating him!" Lily hollered.

Naja leapt into the air with his scythe raised and poised to strike. Casey reached behind him, pulled the second scythe out of the wall, and threw it into the air like it was some sort of boomerang. It hit the airborne cobra, and sparks flew off his chest as he went crashing to the ground.

The red ranger picked up his Junglechucks again.

"With the strength of a tiger—Junglechucks!" Casey called out as he channeled his animal spirit.

By the time Naja was back up on his feet, he found himself face-to-face with the red ranger's projectile attack. The cobra was sent flying backwards, and crashed through the wall on the west side of the coliseum. Naja's legs dangled out of the hole in the wall, and he was forced to de-morph.

This time around, there was a clear winner, Casey. The first semifinal match is going to be Lily versus Stingerella. The winner of that match will face the winner of the second semifinal match between Theo and Casey.

**To Be Continued…**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

**Survival of the Fittest**

_Lily versus Stingerella_

Naja returned to the west side of the coliseum. Gakko and Rantipede smirked at their leader's misfortune, but Naja merely shot them venomous glares.

"Hmph, and you call yourself the leader of the fingers of poison!" Stingerella remarked.

"Oh, and I suppose you could have beaten the red ranger?" Naja retorted.

"Of course. Just like I'm going to beat the yellow ranger now. Watch and learn, boys. This is how it's done."

On the opposite end of the coliseum, Casey tried his best to conceal the fact that he was injured, but his teammates could see right through that façade. All one had to do was look at the way the red ranger was limping to know the tiger was hurt.

Soon, Lily and Stingerella were gathered in the center of the coliseum. Necros had it set up so that as soon as a battle ended, the next began. The only rest the combatants got was in between their matches, provided they were still in the tournament.

The yellow ranger pulled out her sunglasses with yellow trim, put them on her face, pushed a button on the side, and called out, "Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!" The only female ranger was now morphed. "With the speed of a cheetah—Jungle Fury yellow ranger!" Lily shouted striking a pose.

"By the power of Dai Shi, inner beast arise!" Stingerella exclaimed. She was now in her arachnid form. "Queen of the toxic dance—Stingerella!"

A yellow explosion went off behind Lily while a red explosion went off behind Stingerella.

Stingerella assumed her handstand stance and with speed that rivaled that of a cheetah, she quickly made her way over to the yellow ranger. She threw a flurry of kicks.

"Cheetah Jabs!" Lily screamed.

All of Stingerella's attacks were blocked, but the scorpion wasn't so fortunate when it came to blocking all of the cheetah's attacks. Several Cheetah Jabs nailed Stingerella in her calves, knocking her off balance. She fell onto her stomach.

Stingerella wasted no time and was back in her handstand stance again. She split her legs, and spun on her head like a break dancer towards the yellow ranger. She got her forearms up to block the attack, but it still managed to knock her off her feet.

As soon as Lily rose to her feet, she noticed that Stingerella was now incorporating some choreography into her fighting style. It was eerily reminiscent of line dancing. Step, behind, step, kick. Step, behind, step, kick.

Lily was too baffled by Stingerella's choreography to defend herself properly against it. She found herself rising to her feet time and time again. Just when Lily thought she'd gotten Stingerella's timing down, she would either increase the tempo or decrease the tempo, catching the yellow ranger off guard.

Lily decided to fight fire with fire and broke out her own choreography. It was very fast paced and filled with karate chops as well as high and low kicks. Now, it was Stingerella who was on the defensive.

The female finger of poison was now the one picking herself up off the ground. She was starting to grow impatient. In her mind, Stingerella had already proven herself to be the best fighter of the fingers of poison, even if her teammates disagreed. She wanted to not only beat Lily, but also win the tournament. She would then overthrow Dai Shi. Maybe she would spare Camille since she is a fellow villainess. As for Necros, well, she would have to do away with him as well.

"Scorpion attack!" Stingerella said, going with her strongest attack.

"Cheetah Jabs!" Lily shouted as she punched the incoming scorpions before they could even land on her much less sting her.

Stingerella leapt into the air, pincers raised. Lily did a back flip, kicking Stingerella in the back.

Lily grabbed one of Stingerella's arms, and pulled her to her feet. However, she was surprised when the scorpion used the pincer on her other arm to sting Lily in the chest. She fell to the ground clutching her chest. It felt as though she was having a heart attack or something. Her chest felt like it was on fire; it was hard to breathe.

Stingerella got into a handstand position again, and split her legs apart. Again, she spun on her head over towards the yellow ranger. This time, the yellow ranger was ready for her. Mustering up her strength, Lily rose to her feet. She sidestepped Stingerella just in the nick of time. The cheetah grabbed each of Stingerella's legs with one of her hands. She split Stingerella's legs farther apart then Stingerella was used to.

The female finger of poison shrieked in pain. She may not be a male, but having your legs forcibly split like that still hurts like heck.

"Jungle Mace!" Lily called out as her weapon materialized in her hands. She swung her weapon around and around overhead. She launched the Jungle Mace at Stingerella, who was too busy rolling on the ground in agony to get out of the way of the attack. It found its mark, and Stingerella was forced to de-morph.

One of her hands clutched her chest which still hurt tremendously. Then, like a ton of bricks, the reality of her situation hit Lily. She would be in the finals, and would have to face either Theo or Casey. No one, not even the fingers of poison, wanted to stay in this alternate dimension. There could only be one winner. Call it selfishness, but Lily hoped she would be the one getting freedom from this place. The trouble is, the only way for that to happen is to go through either Theo or Casey to do so.

**To Be Continued…**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

**Survival of the Fittest**

_Theo versus Casey_

Stingerella went to the west side of the coliseum. She didn't even have to look to feel the content smirks her teammates were giving her.

"Before you even say a word, just remember that I got further than all of you!" Stingerella commented.

"What exactly was it we were supposed to watch? Because all I saw was the yellow ranger beating you," Gakko stated.

"Serves you right for tricking me," Toady grumbled.

Stingerella merely rolled her eyes. She had no regrets about the way she fought her fights. The only regret she had was that she wasn't going to be in the finals.

"I hope the blue ranger wins this next battle. I don't want to see the one responsible for knocking me out of the tournament win any more matches, much less the tournament," Naja remarked.

"It is for that very reason that I don't want the blue ranger to win," Gakko said.

Lily returned to the east side of the coliseum. It wasn't that her matches had been easier than Theo's or Casey's, but she did seem to have more fight left in her than either of her teammates.

Theo and Casey were now freed from Necros' immobilizing spell. On paper, Theo had the edge. He had more time to rest since his quarterfinal match. He was the more experienced fighter. He wasn't nearly as injured as Casey was. But if Casey's fight with Naja was any indication, Casey had a lot of determination and a lot of heart.

Upon reaching the center of the coliseum, they pulled out their respective sunglasses, put them on, pushed the button on the side, and simultaneously called out "Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!"

"With the stealth of a jaguar—Jungle Fury blue ranger!" Theo shouted before striking a pose.

"With the strength of a tiger—Jungle Fury red ranger!" Casey yelled as he struck a pose of his own.

A blue explosion went off behind Theo at the same that a red explosion went off behind Casey.

"Don't hold back now, Theo," Casey said.

"I won't. You know how much I hate losing," Theo replied.

The blue ranger rushed forward. Casey blocked the oncoming onslaught of punches and kicks with his own punches and kicks. They continued on like this for quite some time before both stopped. They bent over, put their hands on their knees, and tried to catch their breath. Their forearms and shins felt like they were on fire from blocking the other's attacks.

This time, it was Casey who took the initiative. He went for a leg sweep, but Theo managed to hop over the attack. The jaguar leapt into the air, grabbed the tiger by the shoulders, and threw him to the ground.

Theo started to grow concerned when it took Casey awhile to get back up to a vertical base. "Are you all right, Case?"

Casey was holding his right shoulder with his left hand. He had his right knee bent ever so slightly so as to not put any weight on it.

"I'm fine. Call to the beast inside! Free the tiger!" Casey responded.

"Call to the beast inside! Unleash the jaguar!" Theo replied.

Their animal spirits engaged one another in battle. Neither was really getting the advantage. Both kept getting knocked down only to get right back up and resume attacking.

The blue ranger made his way over to the red ranger. He went for a kick. However, the red ranger caught Theo's leg. Using his free leg, the jaguar tried to kick the tiger in the back of the head. Fortunately for the tiger, he ducked his head and the jaguar hit the ground face first.

Casey still had a hold of Theo's leg. He hoisted the smaller ranger into the air and tossed him. Theo managed to land on his feet however. His visor was a little cracked from landing on his face though.

Lily was horrified by the scene unfolding in front of her very eyes. Two of her best friends were forced to fight one another. That wasn't even the worst part though. The worst part was that neither of them was holding back.

The two resumed their fistfight. Unlike the last time, this time, Casey started to slow down. Theo managed to get some lucky shots in on Casey. He then dropped to one knee, and punched Casey in the abdomen, doubling him over.

"Jungle Tonfa!"

Using both hands, he struck his leader on his right side. The impact of the blow caused Casey to flip through the air and land on his back.

From a prone position, Casey went for a kick at precisely the same time that Theo went for a downward strike using his Jungle Tonfa. Theo's weapon made contact with Casey's right patella, and instantaneously, Casey cradled his right knee in pain. Even Necros, who was seated as high up as one could possibly sit, heard the red ranger scream out in pain.

The red ranger was rolling on the ground clutching his right knee. The blue ranger saw that Casey's right kneecap was not where it should be. He quickly crouched down beside his comrade.

"Oh God, Case! I'm so sorry!" Theo said his voice full of guilt.

"Excellent. It looks like the blue ranger will be winning after all," Naja stated.

Casey probably shouldn't have kicked with his right knee since it was already injured, but since Casey was right handed, he did so anyways. Even if it wasn't injured before, it certainly was now.

"Finish him!" Necros shouted.

Theo raised his Jungle Tonfa in the air, and time seemed to stand still. All eyes were on Theo. The blue ranger saw how much pain his friend was in and he knew that he was the cause of it. He lowered his arms to his sides and walked away from the red ranger refusing to deal the final blow that would certainly lead to Theo's advancing to the finals.

"I can't do it," Theo said loud enough for only Casey to hear.

"Yes…you…can," Casey said in between howls of pain.

"No! I won't do it! There's no honor in striking an opponent when he is down."

"Look, the winner of the tournament…is going to have to face Necros…and I don't stand a chance against him injured…and besides, there are still the finals to consider. Finish me off. Really, it's okay."

"Case—"

"That's an order!"

Theo was shocked. Casey had never pulled the leader card before. He knew that strategically, it would be better for him, not Casey, to advance to the finals. Like Casey said, the winner of the tournament would have to face Necros, and Theo stood a better chance of beating Necros. Theo mentally cursed the whole beat-your-opponent-until-he/she-is-forced-to-de-morph rule that Necros made.

Theo let out a deep sigh. "Jungle Tonfa, full power!"

Moments later, Casey was forced to de-morph after having been struck in the chest. Theo followed suit. The tiger saw the shame and the apologetic look in the jaguar's eyes. Lily looked on knowing that she would have to face her best friend in the finals.

**To Be Continued…**

**A/N: So, now to explain my absence. My parents were out of town for the last two weeks. That left me with the unenvious role of babysitting the dogs. Also, this past weekend, we had company in the form of my niece and brother-in-law. In addition to that, my oldest sister requested my assistance in getting her scrap booking store in working order, and that took some time. Call those excuses if you wish, but I call them reasons. At any rate, I'm sorry it took so long to update. On a completely unrelated side note, I am thinking of expanding my horizons and venturing into writing a new fandom—CSI: Miami. So, if you are a fan of the show, and even if you're not, but are a fan of me, keep your eyes peeled for that. Thanks for reading. Thanks for reviewing. Thanks for your support.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

**Survival of the Fittest**

_Lily versus Theo_

Theo put one of Casey's arms around his shoulder. Holding on to Casey's midsection, Theo helped his leader stand up. Together, they steadily made their way to the east side of the coliseum. It was quite apparent that Casey was limping. His right knee looked to be in really bad shape.

Upon reaching the east side of the coliseum, Lily glared daggers at her best friend. Theo interpreted that as she was rooting for Casey.

Soon, Lily and Theo, rather than Casey and Theo, were free from Necros' immobilizing spell. They walked to the center of the coliseum in silence. The whole way, Lily refused to even look at Theo.

Once they were in the center of the coliseum, they both took out their Solar Morphers. They put them on, activated them, and called out, "Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!"

Lily struck a pose. "With the speed of a cheetah—Jungle Fury yellow ranger!"

"With the stealth of a jaguar—Jungle Fury blue ranger!" Theo said striking his pose.

A yellow explosion went off behind Lily at the same time that a blue explosion went off behind Theo.

"I know you hate losing, Theo, but how could you do that to Casey?" Lily shouted.

"You think I _wanted_ that to happen? After all we've been through, and you think I intentionally tried to hurt Casey? I guess you don't know me that well after all!" Theo exclaimed.

"He's probably crippled because of you! Oh, and wouldn't you know it, you're in the finals! You still want to tell me it was an accident? Face it. You wanted to win no matter what you had to do to pull out the victory!"

"It's not like that and you know it!"

Theo didn't expect Lily to come at him with such passion. For that matter, she didn't expect her to be the one to make the first move.

"Cheetah Jabs!"

Theo tried his best to avoid his best friend's offense, but she was a lot fresher than he was. He had just had a grueling match with Casey while she watched on from the sidelines.

None of her attacks connected, as Theo parried them all, but Lily wasn't giving up. She knew she was the more rested of the two and figured she would just tire him out.

"Lily, stop! I don't want to hurt you!"

That couldn't be truer. Theo believed a guy should never hit a girl. Particularly when the girl in question is his best friend.

"Right! Like you didn't want to hurt Casey!" the yellow ranger shot back.

"Lily, I won't fight you!" Theo exclaimed.

What happened next surprised Theo as well as everyone else. Lily took both of her hands and forcefully shoved Theo. It wasn't hard enough to knock him down, but it was hard enough to cause him to back up a few steps.

"Come on! Fight me!" Lily said shoving Theo a second time.

Theo held his ground. He wasn't retaliating. He was just taking whatever Lily was dishing out. The jaguar had no clue why the cheetah was so bent out of shape. This wasn't like Lily at all.

"I said fight back!" Lily shouted slapping the side of Theo's helmet, jarring his head.

She slapped him again. This time, on the other side of the helmet. If she was trying to rile him up until he fought back, it seemed to be working. Theo could feel his resolve fading.

"Call to the beast inside! Bring out the cheetah!"

"Call to the beast inside! Unleash the jaguar!"

The blue feline spirit somersaulted through the air towards the yellow feline spirit. The cheetah leapt into the air, and with a downward slash of her claws, stopped the jaguar in its tracks. Teeth bared, the cheetah charged the jaguar. Claws were flying, and loud growls from both animal spirits filled up the coliseum.

Lily made a beeline for Theo, and went for a right hook. Theo sidestepped, and Lily almost lost her balance having put so much force behind that failed attack.

The yellow ranger went for a leg sweep, but the blue ranger back flipped over that attempt.

Lily threw a right handed punch only for Theo to catch her fist in his own. She went for a left hook, but Theo caught that hand in similar fashion. Lily positioned both her feet on Theo's stomach, she dropped down to the ground and monkey flipped Theo. Like a cat, Theo landed on his feet.

"Jungle Bo!"

"Jungle Tonfa!"

Lily went for a downward strike with her weapon, and Theo responded by bringing both of his Jungle Tonfa up to block it. The two disengaged, only for the yellow ranger to immediately use her Jungle Bo like she would a pool cue. Theo weaved in and out of the attacks. The more times Lily attacked, the closer she came to actually hitting Theo.

However, when it came to weight, Lily's Jungle Bo was the bulkiest of the lot. She started to tire out. Theo was tired too, and he hadn't even been doing anything aside from blocking and dodging.

Their animal spirits were still raring to go though. Neither of them had let up a bit. Also, neither of them seemed to be getting the upper hand.

"Jungle Mace!"

Lily wound it up, and then launched it at Theo. The blue ranger was barely able to dive to the ground in time in order to avoid the attack.

Lily tried slamming down her weapon on top of Theo. The blue ranger rolled to the left. Then, he rolled to the right. Then, he slid in between Lily's legs. He rose to his feet, and caught the chain of Lily's weapon. Both combatants tugged on the chain, but no one seemed to be winning this tug-of-war.

Just as Lily made a forceful tug, Theo let go of the chain, and Lily fell backwards. She rubbed her now sore lower back.

Necros was amused by how sluggish both combatants were. He would face the winner. Frankly, he didn't care who he faced because neither of them stood a chance of beating him.

Lily tried to swing the Jungle Mace over her head again, but she couldn't even lift it up off the ground. Every muscle in her body ached. Even muscles she didn't know she had.

Lily had attempted to tire Theo out, but now she was the one who was tired out. Theo was exhausted too, but Lily was spent.

Now was as good of a time as any to finish Lily off. His grip around his Jungle Tonfa tightened as he was poised to attack. Then, suddenly, he dropped his weapon.

"Power down!" Theo said.

"What? No! Fight her!" Necros shouted.

The blue ranger had his back turned to the yellow ranger and was walking away. Lily was unsure what this meant. Did that mean she won? She didn't beat Theo until he de-morphed, but he still de-morphed.

"I told you I wouldn't hurt you, Lil," Theo stated in a voice that only Lily could hear.

"I don't take kindly to rule breakers! Fingers of poison, get him!" Necros ordered freeing them from his immobilizing spell.

It wasn't long before Necros himself was in the center of the coliseum. He grabbed hold of Lily's arm with a vice-like grip. With his other hand, he drew a circle with a finger, and a portal appeared. Necros dragged Lily through it.

"Lily, no!" Theo shouted as he dove through the air attempting to follow them.

It was too little too late though. The portal closed, and the only thing Theo got was some sand in his mouth.

**To Be Continued…**

**A/N: Your eyes aren't deceiving you. This fic isn't finished yet. I hope the finals of the tournament weren't too much of a letdown. The next chapter will also be the last chapter, just so you know. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

**Survival of the Fittest**

_Losers Bracket and Lily versus Necros_

Lily and Necros arrived back at Ocean Bluff. Necros unceremoniously dumped the yellow ranger on the ground. He then raised his wand and started chanting some sort of spell.

The cheetah saw the wand, the source of Necros' power, and she knew what she had to do. The wand had to be destroyed. She rushed towards Necros.

A black wisp of smoke came out of the tip of the wand. It took the form of a claw with long, spindly fingers. The claw plowed towards Lily with astonishing speed.

However, Lily's animal spirit wasn't the cheetah for nothing. She was fortunate enough to evade the attack by utilizing a diving somersault.

Necros started to chant another spell. Lily wasn't about to let him finish the spell this time around. She quickly closed the distance between the two.

"Cheetah jabs!"

The necromancer went flying backwards, his wand hurtled through the air around the point where he was sent airborne. It landed several feet away from the both of them.

"Jungle Bo!"

The second the weapon materialized in the yellow ranger's hands, she dropped it. The metal weapon clattered on the ground.

The cheetah had her hands on her knees, her head between her legs, and was trying to catch her breath. She was still winded from having to fight three battles in less than a twelve hour time frame.

In the meantime, Necros had crept over to his trusty wand. He snatched it up off the ground and started to chant another spell.

PRJF-PRJF-PRJF

Back in the alternate dimension, four of the five fingers of poison had the unmorphed blue ranger cornered. Naja found himself staring down one injured red ranger.

Though Necros didn't release Casey from the immobilizing spell before he fled the alternate dimension, Casey was no longer affected by it due to the caster being out of range.

Both rangers put on their respective sunglasses. "Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!"

"With the strength of a tiger—Jungle Fury red ranger!"

"With the stealth of a jaguar—Jungle Fury blue ranger!"

"By the power of Dai Shi, inner beast arise!" the fingers of poison said in unison.

"100 legs to strike you—Rantipede!"

"Fangs full of venom—Naja!"

"Queen of the toxic dance—Stingerella!"

"Master of trickery and deceit—Gakko!"

"Skin stronger than armor—Toady!"

Theo didn't know what he did to deserve battling four of the fingers of poison while Casey was stuck just battling one finger of poison. Before Theo could dwell anymore on this, his thoughts were interrupted by Toady head butting Stingerella.

"Toady, what are you doing?" Stingerella asked in disbelief as she picked herself up off the ground.

"It's called payback!" the amphibian replied.

"Blue ranger, if I were you, I wouldn't worry about those two. You have your own problems to worry about, namely me!" Gakko exclaimed flinging several ninja stars at Theo.

"Jungle Tonfa!"

Theo used his weapons to bat away the gecko's incoming attacks. Rantipede stepped forward and unleashed a lightning fast succession of punches that knocked the blue ranger off his feet.

"Cobra Strike!"

At the last split second, Casey bent over backwards in a bridge narrowly evading the cobra's most powerful attack.

"Call to the beast inside! Free the tiger!"

The red ranger's animal spirit sprang into action. It turned Naja into a scratching post. The cobra got hit by swipe after swipe of the tiger spirit's claws.

Stingerella was in a handstand position. While on her hands, she swiftly walked over to her supposed love interest, Toady. She tried for a succession of kicks.

"Toad Power!" Toady exclaimed encasing his body in a nearly transparent force field of slime.

Stingerella fell out of her handstand position and vigorously rubbed her ankles. She wouldn't be surprised if they were sprained after that.

She looked up into the air just in time to see Toady belly flop on top of her. The wind was knocked out of her.

PRJF-PRJF-PRJF

Back in Ocean Bluff, a blinding white light shot out of Necros' wand. Lily shielded her eyes with her hand too little too late. She could no longer see anything.

Lily thought back to her training with RJ. One time, she and Casey were sparring with a blindfolded RJ, and he still managed to get the best of them. Only this time, she was the one without vision.

Though she couldn't see anything, her other senses were heightened. She found that for one thing, she could hear much better. After concentrating, she could make out the sound of Necros chanting another spell. She focused on determining where his voice was coming from.

She went to somersault out of the way just to be safe only to find that everything from her waist down felt like it weighed a ton. She couldn't move her feet or legs at all because the lower half of her body had been petrified.

Lily started to panic. She couldn't see, and now she couldn't move either. The yellow ranger couldn't help but feel that she was letting her teammates down. They were after all still trapped in the alternate dimension. If she could only destroy Necros' wand, then maybe…

It was at this time that Lily started to hear the all-too-familiar sound of Necros chanting a spell. The next thing she knew, there was this sharp pain in her chest. From there, the pain spread outward until it felt like she had landed on a bed of thumb tacks. The necromancer had poisoned her.

Lily knew she was a sitting duck. She didn't know how much more of this she could take. There had to be some way she could fight back that didn't involve her being able to see or use her legs.

"Call to the beast inside! Bring out the cheetah!"

The yellow ranger beckoned forth her animal spirit, which wasted no time tackling the necromancer to the ground. It pressed its paws down on Necros' chest, and snatched his wand out of the necromancer's hand. While holding it in its mouth, the cheetah spirit snapped the wand like a twig.

"No! My wand!" Necros cried out.

Just like that, all of the spells that were currently in effect were negated. This included the petrification spell, the poison spell, the blinding spell, the spell used to bring the fingers of poison back to life, and the spell used to create the alternate dimension in the first place.

Theo and Casey were surprised to find themselves back in Ocean Bluff. As for Lily, the pain she had been feeling disappeared just like that. There was no longer a sharp pain, but a dull pain.

Without his wand, Necros was as good as defenseless. He turned around and started to run away from the trio of rangers.

"Claw Cannon!" the rangers called out as it materialized in their hands.

"Powered by animal spirits! Fire!"

A massive ball of charged energy engulfed the fleeing necromancer. He cried out in pain as his body turned to stone before exploding.

"Power Rangers Jungle Fury!" the three rangers said in unison as they struck a pose.

After surviving the nightmare that was the alternate dimension, the rangers could go back to only worrying about Dai Shi, Camille, and Rinshi.

**The End**


End file.
